Publisher's Synopsis
Humans are working harder, not smarter, to prepare their bodies and minds for peak performance, and they are becoming more lonely and anxious. We strive for perfection in all aspects of our lives, ignoring what we do naturally well and aiming for a bar that keeps rising higher and higher. Why do we value efficiency over meaning in our time management? Why can't we just stop now?
In Do Nothing, award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee illuminates a new path forward, attempting to institute a global shift in our thinking so that we can stop sabotaging our well-being, put work aside, and begin living rather than doing. We discovered that we are looking for external solutions to an internal problem. We won't find it in punishing diets, productivity apps, or the most recent self-improvement schemes. However, all is not lost; we simply need to learn how to take time for ourselves, without agenda or profit, and redefine what is truly valuable. Headlee examines long-held assumptions about time use, idleness, hard work, and even our ultimate goals, bringing together threads from history, neuroscience, social science, and even paleontology. Her research reveals that the habits we cling to are harmful; they emerged relatively recently in human history, implying that they can and must be broken. It's past time to buck the trend that's making us all sadder, sicker, and less productive, and return to a way of life that allows us to thrive.
